Ngā mihi ki a koutou,

I thought I would give you an update on what is happening through the school holidays to support students and families when school starts back after Easter.

Distance Learning

The Ministry of Education is working to ensure schools and communities are prepared for distance learning to commence after these school holidays. They are prioritising families and students in most need of support, particularly those in isolated communities. This may look like ensuring solid digital access by way of devices and internet capability if possible and providing hard copies of work where needed. We have been told we can no longer send resource packs home to students, so aside from what the students currently have, Mount Maunganui College is looking at primarily a digital learning environment.

Safety Online

We have been encouraged to communicate with families safe online behaviour for young people. Suggestions include;

• reviewing and approving games and apps before they are downloaded

• reviewing privacy settings of sites and applications

• checking children’s profiles and what they are posting online

• check the sites your child is accessing

• reminding children that anything that is posted online will be permanently on the internet

• taking the time to understand what sites they are visiting and who they are talking with and check in regularly

• some social media sites have age restrictions to join, check these before letting your child use them or join them

• monitoring a child’s use of the internet and consider having them use it in an open, common area of the house

• making sure your children know to report any activity they don’t feel comfortable with to parents and caregivers straight away.

Netsafe is a great place to start if you are grappling with any issues. They have information for parents and caregivers and have pulled together their top tips for online safety during the lockdown. To report an incident To Netsafe - https://www.netsafe.org.nz/reportanincident/.

If you think a child in your care is the victim of online exploitation or abuse, report it to Police - if you or a child are in danger or a crime is being committed, call 111 or visit your nearest Police Station immediately.

NCEA

There may continue to be some uncertainty around NCEA for some time. The urgent shutdown of schools has meant there will be a number of issues to work through as we move forward into term two (beginning 15 April). Due dates, internal assessments, authenticity issues and more will create many questions for the Ministry of Education, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and all secondary schools.

Rest assured Mount Maunganui College will be fair and reasonable when students have been negatively impacted by circumstances beyond their control. We will follow directives from central agencies and we have processes in place. Please, if you have any specific concerns around teaching, learning and assessment, contact the staff who can help you. A guideline for the best person contact is below.

School Structures

School leadership and management structures continue throughout lockdown and distance learning. If you have specific subject concerns, please start with your child’s teacher. Heads of Departments will be the next port of call for any issues and deans and senior leaders are available at each year level. We have a list of key staff and their email contacts on the school website under ‘Key Info’.

The new term will be a time for learning for the entire school community. We will continue to work hard to ensure our students continue to get a great education through these challenging times. Good communication between the home and the school will be central to positive outcomes.

I wish you all the best for the remaining ‘holiday’ and I will be in touch late next week with any updates.

Kia kaha

Alastair Sinton
Principal